Tag Archives: Alexis de Tocqueville

Bohemians Who Want to Be Philistines

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

Ever since beginning this Great Books Project, I’ve known that some of you out there have been itching to read about crazy Roman emperors. We’re going to start reading Tacitus this week, so your wait is over. Here are the … Continue reading →

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All the World’s a Stage

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

Three Great Books Monday posts in a row . . . what is the world coming to? If you have never read Henry James before, you’re in for a treat this week. Here are the readings for the coming week: … Continue reading →

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Rationality Is Talking to a Horse

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

I’m not ashamed to admit it: there are some weeks when I’d rather just not read anything at all. There has been at least one sick person in my house every day since last Tuesday, and I’ve had to spend … Continue reading →

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Back to Great Books Monday!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

We hit 2,500 pages of Science and Mathematics this week in the Great Books Project. Just thinking of it makes me mentally tired. Here are the readings for the coming week: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, Part IV (GBWW Vol. … Continue reading →

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Substance is Essence

Posted on February 5, 2013 by

Advocates of scientism, beware! Jonathan Swift is about to rock your world in this week’s Great Books readings. Here are the readings for the coming week: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, Part III (GBWW Vol. 34, pp. 89-131) The Metaphysics … Continue reading →

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The Honor of Lilliputians

Posted on January 29, 2013 by

Amazingly, we’re coming to the end of Month 25 of readings in this Great Books Project. Last week we read our 3,000th page of Philosophy and Theology. This week we’ll come within a whisker of passing the 3,500-page mark in … Continue reading →

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Warning: Audience-Embarrassing Hypnotists May Be Shot

Posted on January 22, 2013 by

I took advantage of the holiday this week to catch up more ground in the Great Books Project. I’m now within one day of being back on schedule! Moreover, we’re going to start the greatest satire in the English language … Continue reading →

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Only Vegetables Question the Law of Non-Contradiction

Posted on January 17, 2013 by

I’m happy to say that I’ve caught up two days on this week’s Great Books post. The big development this week is that we will finish the Dickens novel after ten weeks. We’ll finish Bacon next week and perhaps Tocqueville … Continue reading →

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Only Liberty Can Cure Equality’s Evils

Posted on January 12, 2013 by

Well, here I am making a Great Books post on Saturday after expressing high hopes last week that I’d be back onto a Monday schedule. The demands of a new semester (including breaking in a new professor in my department) … Continue reading →

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Plato Disses Rhetoric

Posted on January 3, 2013 by

Travels and spotty internet connections have prevented me from making this week’s Great Books post until now. Here are the readings for the coming week: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, Chapters 43-48 (GGB Vol. 2)* The Metaphysics of Aristotle, … Continue reading →

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